The Handmaid's Tale is an American
dystopian drama web television series created by
Bruce Miller, based on the
1985 novel of the same nameby
Margaret Atwood. It was ordered by the streaming service
Hulu as a straight-to-series order of 10 episodes, for which production began in late 2016. The plot features a
dystopian future following a
Second American Civil War wherein a totalitarian society subjects fertile women, called "
Handmaids", into child-bearing servitude.
[3]
The first three episodes of the series premiered on April 26, 2017; the subsequent seven episodes were released every Wednesday. In May 2017, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on April 25, 2018.
[4] In May 2018, Hulu renewed the series for a third season,
[5]which premiered on June 5, 2019.
[6]
The Handmaid's Tale has received critical acclaim and its first season won eight
Primetime Emmy Awards from thirteen nominations, including
Outstanding Drama Series. It is the first show produced by Hulu to win a major award as well as the first series on a streaming service to win an Emmy for Outstanding Series.
[7] It also became the first streaming series to win the
Golden Globe Award for
Best Television Series – Drama.
Elisabeth Moss was also awarded the Golden Globe for
Best Actress.
